Latest California Healthline Stories
House Approves Bill To Create National Medical Error Database To Improve Patient Safety
The House on Wednesday voted 428-3 to pass a bill (S 544) that would establish a national patient safety database to encourage voluntary reporting of medical errors, CongressDaily reports.
Grassley Says He Will Address Medicare Physician Payments This Year
Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Wednesday said that the committee will address a bill on Medicare physician reimbursements by the end of the year, CongressDaily reports.
Coverage Gaps in Health Insurance Coverage Affect Children’s Care, Study Finds
Twenty percent of children who lacked health care coverage for at least part of the year postponed medical care, compared to 16% of uninsured children and 4% covered by a public or private provider, according to a study published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, the AP/Orange County Register reports.
House Approves Four Bills Related to Prescription Drugs, Medical Devices
The House this week approved several bills related to prescription drugs and medical devices.
A study that evaluated how hospitals in 40 regions across the country comply with care recommendations for heart failure, heart attack and pneumonia ranked hospitals in San Bernardino and Riverside counties among the lowest in the nation in adherence to the medical standards, the Los Angeles Times reports.
San Mateo County Supervisors Approve New Regulations for Reporting Medical Errors
The San Mateo Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously voted to adopt more “aggressive” regulations for reporting medical errors at San Mateo Medical Center, the San Mateo County Times reports.
Officials of programs working to expand health care coverage for children for Fresno and Tulare counties plan to begin enrollment in November in new health insurance programs but say that funding shortfalls could result in waiting lists for the programs, the Fresno Bee reports.
House, Senate Agree To Provide $1.5B for Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Programs
House and Senate negotiators on Tuesday agreed to add $1.5 billion to the fiscal year 2006 Interior-Environment appropriations bill (HR 2361) for Department of Veterans Affairs health care programs, CQ Today reports.
More than 80% of U.S. Toddlers Received All Recommended Vaccinations in 2004, CDC Reports
Childhood vaccination rates in 2004 exceeded federal goals for 2010, with 80.9% of U.S. residents younger than age three receiving the complete series of recommended immunizations, CDC officials reported on Tuesday, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports.
Riverside County Officials Suspend Use of CPR Device After Death
Riverside County health officials have suspended use of a cardiac support pump after a 77-year-old man who was resuscitated using the device “suffered cracked ribs and internal injuries and later died,” the Los Angeles Times reports.